Nowadays, when an artist walks into the studio for the Blind Auditions on The Voice, they look at the wall of previous contestants and note one particular star who made their start on this very show: Morgan Wallen. When Morgan Wallen auditioned for Season 6, a star was blooming. The fresh-faced 20-year-old had potential; there was something special inside him. While he may not have gone beyond the Play-off Round, Wallen’s time in the world of music was anything but finished.
There’s a learning curve for reality stars after they complete their fifteen minutes of fame. For Morgan Wallen, he learned it the hard way. As his star continued to shine, his rise in pop culture was marred with controversy. For many artists, it could have been a career-killer. And yet, Morgan Wallen has triumphed beyond the world of cancel culture to become country music’s award-winning chart-topping megastar.
Morgan Wallen’s Career Began on ‘The Voice’
It’s 2014. The Voice has become one of the biggest reality shows in America. Adam Levine and Blake Shelton continue to develop the biggest bromance on TV. Usher and Shakira were back for their second season. By the end of Season 6, the world was introduced to powerhouse vocalist Josh Kaufman, but first, Morgan Wallen was the country kid who could. For his Blind Audition, Wallen performed “Collide” by Howie Day. While it wasn’t a tried-and-true country song, Wallen showed his vocal colors and ability to reach across styles. There was a gravel in his voice that instantly made Shakira turn. Usher, who eventually became Wallen’s initial coach, followed suit. By the time he reached the Battle Rounds, Wallen was successful in his first battle but lost in his second. Thankfully, Adam Levine swooped in to steal him.
Sadly, his stay on The Voice only lasted one more performance, as he was eliminated in the Play-offs. Ironically, Wallen was eliminated after his first, and only, country performance during his run. It should be noted that at this time, the voting public had no say in who stayed or who went. In 2021, speaking to Billboard, Wallen noted, “Some things in life are out of your control. Being the best you can be isn’t. I didn’t feel like I was the best I could have been. So I practiced harder.” He did, and surely the coaches wish they had a time machine to play a more instrumental part in his meteoric rise.
Morgan Wallen’s Controversy Is His Own Doing
Since The Voice, Morgan Wallen has had career-making highs and tumultuous lows that have netted him the honor of being The Voice‘s most controversial figure. As a fledgling singer on The Voice, he was quite endearing. With a massive spotlight turned on him, Wallen’s true colors were exposed, earning him critical acclaim, musically and personally. Wallen kicked off his career with an indie label, Big Loud, but when he collaborated with Florida Georgia Line, his trajectory in music completely shifted over to the country charts. He honed his country persona with sleeveless flannel shirts and cowboy hats, straying far away from the swoopy-haired kid from reality TV. Country fans were familiar with his work, but his public persona leaped through the screens after he was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in Nashville during the pandemic. A few months later, just three days prior to making his Saturday Night Live debut, Wallen was booted from the line-up after photos of the singer surfaced partying in Alabama, unmasked. Because rigorous COVID testing for the live tapings was protocol, he had to go. However, he made his debut weeks later, where he was able to poke fun at his scandal.
When Wallen finds a high, he manages to drop to another low. Just weeks after he became a bigger household name thanks to SNL, Wallen was heard using the N-word in a video. The fallout was massive, causing radio stations to drop his music and award shows to uninvite him to their events. Wallen apologized, but in a world of quick-to-forget pop culture, this ban was short-lived. His biggest fans seemed to be unfazed by his actions; his brush with cancel culture managed to catapult him to the top, breaking Billboard records. Becoming one of the hottest tickets in town, Wallen has a history of canceling his shows minutes before he is set to take the stage. Remember the Nashville arrest? Well, it happened again in 2024 after Wallen tossed a chair off of the roof of Eric Church‘s bar. An action that could land him in jail.
Like him or not, Morgan Wallen is one of the biggest stars The Voice has produced. And yet, there are times the show would love to distance themselves from his actions. Despite his controversies, The Voice and Morgan Wallen are forever bonded. From here on out, singers will look at his picture on the wall and say, “I want to be like Morgan Wallen.”
The Voice airs every Monday and Tuesday at 8:00pm on NBC. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.
